Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer McMahon. We'll be talking about her genre-defying novel, The Children on the Hill.

Jennifer McMahon has been lauded by Chris Bohjalian (The Flight Attendant) as "a worthy literary descendent of Shirley Jackson." She is the author of eleven novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Promise Not to Tell and The Winter People. McMahon is in the LibraryReads Hall of Fame. She lives in Vermont with her partner, Drea, and their daughter, Zella.

In this episode Jennifer McMahon and I discuss:

• Why she had multiple false starts on her latest novel and what finally inspired her to finish.
• How she developed the idea of secrets and her process for layering them throughout the plot.
• What is a monster, what makes something monstrous, and why that distinction is important.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/411